I Love You Too
by donutsareamazing
Summary: Marinette has realized that Adrien is just a friend and now fallen for Chat... but Adrien finally realized his feelings for Marinette. Both too shy to confess, they have no idea of the others' feelings, let alone their identities. What happens when Hawkmoth sends an akuma more ruthless than they've ever seen?
1. Chapter 1

This was never supposed to happen.

Ladybug was strong, she was brilliant. She wasn't supposed to be lying on the ground like that. Eyes closed, chest heaving, dirt and blood smeared across her polka-dotted mask.

Crooked, why did she look crooked?

Chat Noir was always happy, always smiling. He wasn't supposed to be crying, bound to a lamp post, struggling to reach her, to reach his lady.

"Ladybug!" he screamed. "I'm coming, milady!"

She didn't answer, couldn't answer, just cracked open her eyes to stare at the approaching akumatized citizen. A blank stare, where was her hope?

Gone, it was all gone.

The akuma's host―Knightmare, that was his name―had struck around midnight, Chloe's fault of course, and the famous duo had swept in to confront him with a confidence like never before. But this one was different, angry, his power unmatched by any previous akuma.

Knightmare kneeled before her, his hand brushing down her cheek. It was tender, felt loving. They knew the truth. "You know what I'm going to take, but before I do, oh great Ladybug, I have a little present for you."

Chat Noir fought harder, a shriek erupting from his throat. They had seen what happened to Chloe, her cries, the anguished begging at the light graze of his hand. Fear, that's what he used, what he manipulated. It lasted a mere minute for the mayor's daughter, but the two heroes had a feeling that what Chloe endured was less than a tenth of the akuma's true power. He wouldn't go easy on Ladybug.

"No! Don't touch her, Knightmare!"

The tall man grinned, roughly gripping Ladybug's arm as he dragged her to Chat Noir's feet. She was so close, right there in front of him. Knightmare stood, pulling out a knife and dragging it along Chat's cheek. "I want you to watch her suffer, watch her die right in front of you," he breathed, lips curling into a sneer. "You both deserve this."

Tears streamed down Chat's face, soaking his mask as he strained against the ropes. "I'll do anything, anything! Please, just let Ladybug go!"

Knightmare grinned. "Problem is, kitty, I already have everything I want." He sliced down swiftly towards Ladybug, splitting her left side open, blood flowing across the concrete where she lay. The blue-haired hero let out a pained gasp, a few tears leaking from her eyes.

"I'll make her wish she had never become a miraculous holder."

And Knightmare's glowing palm descended upon Ladybug's shoulder. Chat Noir squeezed his eyes shut, unable to look at his lady when he was so helpless, so useless.

But…

"L-lucky charm," a voice rasped.

Ladybug?

_Ladybug!_

One fist grasped around Knightmare's wrist, the other held tight onto a pair of dotted wire cutters.

"You can hurt me all you want, but I won't break. I'll never give up my miraculous!" Ladybug croaked, eyes flashing dangerously.

Knocking his knife away with the wire cutters, she kicked him to the side with a grunt, effectively knocking the wind out of the surprised man. She forced herself to her feet, nearly collapsing, before stumbling painfully to Chat Noir, blood soaking into her suit and collecting in a puddle at her feet. He wanted to gag at it's metallic scent. There was so much, too much pouring out of her side. How could she still be standing?

"Ladybug, get out of here! Run!" He ordered.

She shook her head, fixing her partner with a determined glare as she cut through the ropes holding him. "It's our responsibility to protect the citizens of Paris, Chat Noir."

He almost believed that she wasn't scared. Almost. But Chat had known her for long enough that he noticed even the slightest tremor in her voice. She was terrified. Ropes falling at his feet, Chat Noir wasted no time in retrieving his fallen baton and pushing Ladybug behind him.

"Milady, you only have five minutes left. Let me take it from here."

She took his hand, the unusual act of affection showing just how serious she was. "Chat, you can't do this on your own. I'll be fine."

"But—"

"Paris comes first, Chat Noir!"

The blonde hero swallowed back his protests. She was right, she was always right. He hadn't even thought about the city. Were Nino and Alya okay? Was _Marinette_ okay? How had he forgotten about his best friends?

"Well, I'm surprised that you had enough energy to use your power, but I guess I shouldn't have underestimated Paris's famed heroine," Knightmare jeered, picking up his knife.

"We'll stop you!" Chat threatened, putting himself between the villain and his bleeding partner.

"You don't realize the strength I have, Chat Noir," Knightmare scoffed. "Everyone is afraid of something. I can see what _terrifies_ them, I can see their weakness and I can use it. No one can fight fear itself, not even you."

It was true, though. Fear, it was in everybody, there was no escape. It left a person broken, traumatized. Chat wasn't even sure that Ladybug's lucky charm was able to fix what Knightmare could do. Could she mend mentality? Repair a person's mind?

"It doesn't matter, Knightmare! We're a team and we can push through anything!" Ladybug shouted, leaning heavily against Chat Noir. She had never been in this much pain before, could she fight?

She had to. For Chat, for Paris. For Adrien and Alya and Nino and even Chloe.

The akuma smiled, a glint in his eye that did nothing to calm Paris's heroes. "You pair are such a great team. It would be a shame if something happened to your little sidekick, though." And with that, Knightmare flung himself, palm outstretched, towards Chat Noir.

"No!" Ladybug shrieked, her body moving on its own, throwing her bleeding, broken self in front of her partner, her best friend. Knightmare's hand connected with her chest and, for a moment, the world went dark and Ladybug felt nothing.

Then she screamed.


	2. Chapter 2

"No! No, nonono, wake up! WAKE UP! PLEASE, I CAN'T DO THIS WITHOUT YOU!" Ladybug howled, tears escaping from her bluebell eyes as she dropped to her knees, head cradled in her hands, fingers fisted in her hair. "I'm so sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Please, just COME BACK TO ME!"

Chat Noir could only stare in horror as his partner gasped for air, eyes shut tight. She hadn't screamed once during Knightmare's torture. This power, this fear, now left her completely incapacitated. Falling beside her, Chat Noir pulled Ladybug into his arms, burying his face into her hair.

"Bugaboo, I'm here," Chat whispered, holding back a sob as she whimpered apologies. "This isn't real, they're safe, whoever they are, they're okay."

"Such an easy fear to manipulate," Knightmare commented, looking boredly at the two. "And to think you believed you could best me? This is what I can do with just a touch of my hand. She'll never be the same after seeing this."

Chat's arms tightened around Ladybug's shaking body, choking out his own apologies at his failure, because it was _his_ fault that she was seeing this, _his_ fault that he was seeing her more vulnerable than she ever showed. A light beeping noise was heard as she de-transformed, losing consciousness and the last bit of protection surrounding her body. A blur of red sped by Chat's face.

"I'm so sorry, Marinette! I should have protected you better," Tikki cried.

_Marinette?_

Chat Noir looked down, and sure enough, his black-haired classmate lay in his arms, face pale, head drooping.

And Chat Noir's tears finally spilled out of his eyes.

He cried because it was Marinette, the adorably awkward girl who sat behind him in school, that was bleeding and broken in his arms.

He cried because it was Mari, one of his closest friends that, even laying motionless, was living her worst nightmare.

He cried because it was his princess, the girl he fell in love with, but was too shy to tell, that he failed to protect, that could die.

Chat Noir threw his head back and wailed. Raw, crazed grief that split his throat open and climbed out of his mouth. It was all his fault, it should have been him. It should never have been her, the selfless daughter of a baker, the aspiring designer. Oh god, she would never get to make all those designs.

Looking back at a grinning Knightmare, Chat Noir's eyes were glazed over, an unstable, deranged look replacing the mischievous expression that never seemed to fade. He gently set Marinette on the ground, handing Tikki a chunk of cheese, just in case. Gloved fists clenched at his sides, claws tearing into his palms, he stood, turning to the akumatized person.

Knightmare scowled. "Give me your miraculouses!" he screeched, sprinting towards Paris's last hope, hands aglow.

"Cataclysm!" Chat shouted, facing Knightmare with bubbling claws.

Fueled with anger and adrenaline, Chat Noir captured Knightmare's glowing hands, his cataclysm eating away at the light, covering his opponent's fingers, his forearms. He had had one chance to take down the akuma, and there was no way he would let Knightmare escape. This was for Ladybug, for Mari.

Hurling the man onto the concrete still sticky with Marinette's blood, Chat pummeled his fists into Knightmare's face, stomach, everywhere he could touch. Blinded by anger, he couldn't stop, wouldn't stop.

And then, Marinette woke up.


	3. Chapter 3

It was painful, excruciating even. But the dull ache of her head, the amount of blood pooling beneath her body, her broken leg, bone exposed to the night air, none of that mattered.

Because it wasn't real.

Marinette was bleeding out, dying, but she was relieved. Chat Noir was alive, he was fine, everything that she just saw was a nightmare…

Knightmare.

She turned her head to the side. Even that slight movement sent a stabbing pain down her spine, her vision clouding over before landing, unfocused, on a figure. A figure mercilessly beating another on the ground.

That wasn't Chat Noir, right? It couldn't be.

No way was that murderous, terrifying _thing_ her best friend, the partner she trusted with her life. The person she'd fallen for as Marinette, after realizing Adrien would only ever be a friend. But as her sight became clearer, there was no way to deny it.

"Chat Noir," she wheezed. "Stop, please!"

But Chat continued to rain blows onto the man, sobs wracking his body, heartbeat pounding in his ears. Tears welled up, spilling out of her bluebell eyes. She needed to get up and stop him!

"Marinette!" Tikki cried, throwing down her half-eaten cheese. "How are you awake?!"

"I need to purify the akuma, Tikki. Chat's not himself right now," she managed to say, her head swimming. No, she couldn't pass out again, Paris needed her.

"Marinette, please don't move. You're hurt—"

"SPOTS ON!"

Laying painfully on the ground, Marinette's wounds were covered with a red suit. Somehow, she felt a little better, her head a little clearer. Gripping her yo-yo, Ladybug rolled to her stomach, grabbing the wire cutters laying next to her. She tried to get to her feet, letting out a shriek of pain and frustration as her body collapsed again and again.

"Chat, Chat please!" She screamed, but he wouldn't turn around, wouldn't stop.

Chat Noir's fists tore into Knightmare's body, a rainbow of bruises blooming until he hit, destroyed, the blue pin fastened to the man's collar. A black butterfly escaped, flying past the miraculous holder's face and Chat Noir finally stopped. He stared, transfixed, horrified, at the akuma, realizing what he had done, what he had turned into. He was supposed to be a hero!

Curling up into a ball, Chat sobbed, for Marinette and for himself and for whoever this broken man was next to him. His face buried in his arms, the weeping hero didn't see a yo-yo almost miss the black butterfly, didn't see Ladybug breathing heavily as she rasped "time to de-evilize" from her hands and knees, didn't see his best friend pitch forward as she tried to crawl towards him, scraping her face but continuing to push herself, because he _needed_ her.

He registered nothing, until a small hand came to rest on his shoulder. Chat Noir started, his teary eyes peering up to look at Ladybug's soft smile.

"We made it, kitty," she coughed out, trying to console her partner. "You're okay, watch this."

Wheezing, Ladybug threw the wire cutters into the air, whispering "miraculous ladybug!" and capturing Chat Noir in a hug, planting a kiss on his cheek.

"Princess," he breathed, watching a swarm of ladybugs fix their surroundings and heal Knightmare's bruises. Everything was good as new, but why wasn't Ladybug healing, why wasn't Marinette okay?

Transformation slipping away, Marinette's wounds were revealed to the world once again. Her adrenaline gone, she went limp in Chat's arms, vision blurring once again. Blood still seeped through her clothes, the pain indescribable. She could hear someone calling for her, but they sounded far away, muffled. She was so tired, so comfortable in Chat Noir's embrace.

_This isn't a bad place to die,_ Marinette thought, before the darkness overtook her

Even superheroes have a limit.


	4. Chapter 4

"Princess?! Marinette!"

Chat Noir panicked as Ladybug faded, leaving Marinette with her head lolling to the side, chest barely moving up and down. She was so pale, so cold.

"Hold on, Mari! Don't leave me!" Chat screamed, gathering her into his arms, tears sliding down his face once again.

Ignoring the faint beeping of his ring, the hero sprinted towards the nearest hospital, leaving behind the confused unakumatized man. A trail of red splattered onto the pavement behind him, but the teen ran on, letting his miraculous disappear, not noticing the people snapping pictures of the distressed model.

"Help, HELP! SOMEBODY, SHE NEEDS HELP NOW!"

The front attendant gasped, pressing a button on her desk. "Paging Dr. Herbert, we have a teenage girl, severe trauma."

A group rushed up with a stretcher, attempting to take the blood covered girl to surgery.

"No, no!" Adrien cried, holding her tightly. No way was he letting anyone take her away.

"Mr. Agreste, let go!" a women ordered. "If your friend doesn't go now, she'll die."

Hearing what could happen, Adrien's breathing quickened and he loosened his grip enough for the nurses to place Marinette on a stretcher. The group disappeared through a set of double doors, leaving Adrien hyperventilating on the ground, a nurse trying to calm him down, stop his tears.

His breathing slowed, his body relaxed, but the tears wouldn't stop. On and off for hours, Adrien wept for his mistakes, for his worry. He wouldn't speak, wouldn't eat. Not until Marinette was okay… if she would ever be okay.

Marinette was in surgery for eleven hours.

The doctors administered the last procedure, stitched up the last wound. _She would survive, she was tough,_ they thought. _But how had she gotten injuries so horrific?_ The nurses had just connected her to their machines when Marinette's brow furrowed. Her heartbeat quickened, her breathing became shallow. She mumbled, sounding panicky, scared.

"Marinette, calm down, everything is okay," one nurse said, trying to comfort her.

Marinette's lips parted in a strangled sob as her words increased in clarity and volume.

"Hawkmoth, let Chat go! Don't touch him! Chat Noir! NO, HAWKMOTH STOP, STOP PLEASE!"

"Marinette, you're having a nigh—"

Her scream was bloodcurdling.

A nurse raced out of the room, to get someone, _anyone_, that could help the terrified girl. In the waiting room, he spotted a blonde teen, head in his hands, sitting next to a pair of worried parents.

"CHAT NOIR! WAKE UP, WAKE UP PLEASE! I LOVE YOU! I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT YOU!" Marinette shrieked, the other nurses trying to hold back tears at the sight of someone so traumatized.

Halfway to the hospital room, Adrien heard the muffled screams. His run sped up to a desperate sprint that the nurse could barely keep up with.

"Marinette!" he cried, bursting open the doors and rushing to her side.

"CHAT NOIR I _NEED_ YOU! PLEASE JUST GET UP! WAKE UP!"

Adrien enveloped her in his arms, pressing her tight against his chest. He placed a kiss on her temple, burying his face into her blackberry colored hair as the nurses left to give the two some room.

"Princess, I'm okay, this isn't real," he soothed, rocking the girl back and forth. "You saved me Marinette."

Hearing Adrien's voice, Marinette relaxed, screams dying down, eyes finally opening to stare into the rich green orbs of her former crush.

"A-adrien, what's going―" her eyes widened. "Chat Noir! Where is he?!"

With newfound adrenaline, Marinette struggled to escape Adrien's embrace.

"Adrien, let me go! He's my partner, I need to find him! Hell, Adrien, I'M IN LOVE WITH HIM!"

With a gasp, Adrien's grip loosened enough to let Marinette wriggle free and leap to the floor, tearing out her IV.

"CHA―" Marinette yelped as her wrapped up foot hit the ground, her injured body tipping to the side. She closed her eyes as she fell, dazed from the pain, until she felt strong arms, catch her around the middle.

"Marinette, you're already hurt. Stop making me worry more," Adrien scolded, carrying her back to her bed."

"But I need to find Chat. At least tell me if he's alright, Adrien."

The blonde smirked in a way that was almost Chat-like, but she just thought that because she was worried about him, right? _Right?_

"Mari, he's fine, you'll see him soon," Adrien said. "I'll go tell the doctor that you're up."

Marinette let out a breath, leaning back against her pillow as she nodded, watching Adrien open the door.

Turning back with another smirk, Adrien looked Marinette right in the eyes. "By the way Princess, I love you too."

He didn't stick around to see her to figure it out.


	5. Chapter 5

Adrien loved her. Adrien was Chat Noir. Chat Noir was Adrien. Chat Noir loved her. Her current crush was her former crus― wait, her former crush was her current crush, no… both?

What. Was. Happening.

"Miss Dupain-Cheng, are you alright," Dr. Herbert asked, worriedly resting a hand on her shoulder.

_No._

Marinette nodded, shaking herself out of her thoughts. She would deal with that later, right now she had to focus. Adrien wasn't even here, he was getting her some food. Brushing her hair out of her eyes, Marinette asked, "Dr. Herbert, when can I go home?"

"Well, I would recommend staying for at least another day or so, but you could go today if you're careful."

"THANK JESUS THAT I AM LEAVING TODA― OWWW!" She screamed, hugging her wounded ribs.

A gasp sounded in the hallway and less than a second later, a soup-covered Adrien burst through the door. He nearly crashed into Marinette's bed, hovering his fingers over her body, afraid to cause any more damage.

"Mari, are you okay? Is she okay?!" He fretted, looking back and forth between the doctor and hospitalized girl.

Marinette only stared open-mouthed at the blonde, unable to formulate sentences toward her (former? current?) crush. This only served to terrify Adrien more, the teen shouting for help and embracing Marinette in a (as gentle as possible) bone-crushing squeeze.

"Wait, Ch― Adrien, I'm okay, I'm fine," she finally stuttered out, returning the hug. Dr. Herbert quietly exited, thinking that the two clearly needed some time to themselves.

Adrien kept his head buried in the crook of her neck, arms securely around his best friend. He wasn't letting go, not ever.

"What's wrong, kitty? It's over, we're all okay."

She knew something was wrong when her best friend wouldn't look her in the eye. _Was he angry with her?_ She knew it was her fault that she was hurt in the first place.

Her for Chloe, that's the exchange Knightmare wanted, and after seeing her classmate crying, actually crying, it was a choice she would make again and again. Granted, she'd give herself up for anyone, but something about her bully sobbing about fashion mishaps had her scrambling to reach her, wanting so strongly to console her, to make it better. When Knightmare asked for the trade, Marinette swung to the two without a single word to Chat, trusting him to know what to do.

_Is that why he's like this now?_

"Chat, tell me what's wrong," Marinette murmured, stroking his hair, but her partner wouldn't move, nestling his face farther into her neck, inhaling her comforting scent. "Okay, then can I say something?"

He nodded into her skin, breath softly brushing against the nape of her neck, strong arms encircling her body in a reassuring embrace as he climbed into the bed next to her.

"I'm not sure how much you know about my nightmare, I don't know what happened outside of my mind when he touched me, but I need to tell you what I saw." she began softly. "It was like what was happening in real life, but Knightmare had y―"

Her voice cracked, tears slipping out of her eyes, landing on Adrien's hair before she could wipe them away. The blonde finally looked up, bringing the sobbing girl into his lap, touching his forehead to hers.

"Knightmare killed you."

Adrien dried her tears with his shirt, bringing her closer so he could press a kiss to the top of her head. "Knightmare nearly killed you in real life, Mari," he whispered.

And it was his turn to break down.

"Watching that man put his hands on you, Marinette, you have no idea how angry that made me. It's my job to protect you, to protect Ladybug! And when you were half-dead, lying on the ground with blood pouring out of your side, you still had to come save me from _myself_! I failed everyone! YOU'RE IN THE GODDAMN HOSPITAL BECAUSE OF ME! I don't deserve to be Char Noir."

"Do you think," Marinette began, looking Adrien in the eyes. "That I could have survived even a minute of that if I didn't have faith in you? You keep me going in the face of death. You protect me again and again. You are the only reason I'm alive today. I love you, Adrien, so much. Don't ever think you're unworthy."

Tears glistening in her eyes, hair undone and wild around her face, Marinette had never looked more determined, more beautiful. How had he not realized she was Ladybug? She was a hero, in fighting akumas and in everyday life. "I love you more," Adrien breathed, and his lips finally found hers. They held each other close until their tears dried, recovering from the experience, leaning on each other's love and comfort. Making an unspoken promise that this would _never happen again_, not ever.

Enveloped possessively in Adrien's arms, Marinette smiled sleepily. "Finally a real kiss."

"Well," Adrien chuckled. "You did kiss me on the cheek once."

"True, but I wasn't thinking about that time."

The blonde turned to his new girlfriend, smiling cheekily. "That's right! We never did talk about the Dark Cupid Kiss, though I did hear something about you thinking true love would break the spell."

"Oh, um― YOU HEARD NOTHING!" Marinette yelped, her face reddening. "LET'S TAKE A NAP NOW!"

"Ok ok, I'll stop. _If_ you tell me exactly how it happened."

"Adrien!"

* * *

**AN: OMG I finished my first story! Well it's not the first story I've written, but it's the first one I finished! Thanks so much for reading and be sure to PM me if you see any mistakes. ILY and hope you liked it! Have a nice day! Also the ending is sort of rushed sry.**

**AN: I read this again and wow it's pretty bad lol. I might edit it, but who knows :)**


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